Spring cotter-key



(No Model.)

F. S. MCWHORTER.

SPRING CUTTER KEY. 10.433.804 Patented Aug. 5, 1890.

NVENTOR ATTORNEYS' Tn: Home Pneus cu., mgm-uwe., wAsmNm-DN, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS S. MCWHORTER, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SELDEN G. NORTH AND RALPH H. NORTH, BOTH PHILADELPHIA,

PENNSYLVANIA.

SPRING COTTER-KE-Y.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..433,804, dated August 5, 1890.

Application iiled May 5, 1890. Serial No. 350,627. (No modelJ.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS S. MGWHORTER, of Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented an Improved 5 Spring Cotter-Key, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My improvements relate to means for facilitating the entrance of such a key to place.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of my improved cotter-key. Fig. 2 is a formal modication of the same, and Fig. 3 is another formal modification. Fig. 4 shows the key partly inserted in a hole, and in Fig. 1 15 the dotted lines indicate the same key pushed to place.

Referring to the letters upon the drawings, A indicates a bentend of one of the parts of the split key having one side of it cut away 2o so as to leaveva shoulder B. Y

C indicates a bent end of the other part of the split key, having the other side of it cut away so as to leave the shoulder D opposite that first described. By this construction I z 5 form a tapered end for the key, so that without pressing the parts together it may be instantly inserted and then the key pushed to place', the inclined ends just described oper-y ating with a wedging action to press the parts 3o of the key together and allow it to be slipped to place. When in place, the E'parts will separate, as usual, by their resiliency, so as to secure the key.

Instead of having the two bent ends form ed as just described, one of them may be slotted, as shown in Fig. 2, and the other adapted to enter the slot when the two parts of the key being inserted to place are pressed together. It is possible to have but one part provided with a bent end, as shown in Fig. 3, and still get the benefit of my invention; but I prefer to have both parts so provided. The essential things are that the end of the key be practically as if pointed, and therefore the two parts adapted to be freely entered in a hole without previously pressing them together, and then to be pressed together by pushing the key to place. I thus produce a spring @otter-key that can be as readily inserted as a common pointed pin.

What I claim isv A spring @otter-key bent inwardly at. its entering end, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony of all Which I have hereuntoy 55 subscribed my name.

FRANCIS S. MOWVHORTER. Witnesses:

JAMES FOTHERINGHAM, T. J. FEGLEY. 

